Adjustable blade fan



C. F. GOEDE ADJUSTABLE BLADE FAN Jan. 5, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed 001;. 24, 1947 m I Z 0 I0 7 1 m. 1 hi 4 r Jan. 5, 1954 c. F. GOEDE ADJUSTABLE BLADE FAN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Oct. 24, 1947 Patented Jan. 5, 1954 ADJUSTABLE BLADE. FAN

Charles F; Goede, New Philadelphia, Ohio, as

signor to Joy-Manufacturing Gompany; acorporation of Pennsylvania Application October. 24, 1947,, Serial No. venous 13'Cl'aims. 1.

My. invention relates, to. adjustable. blade fans; and. more particularly to adjustable bladev fans or" the vane axialtype.v

It is customary in thedesigning of adjustable blade fans to choose a size of. motor adequate for the drive .at the maximum pitch anglewhich it is intended they shallhave. It ,hasbeen, found in practice, however, that. the users of these fans are not. always satisfied to employ them for the moving. of the volume of. air. for which they were designed, andv will readjust. the. fan. blades. to such angles that the motor. may be seriously overloaded. It would. therefore be,v highly ad's vantageous if suitable meanscouldbe provided; which: would prevent. adjustment. of. the, fan blades to positions which would, require, more power than, their associated; motors. were designed toprovide espeoially if suchadjustment limiting meanscouldbe made such. as to be inaccessible to. any tampering without. substan-. tial trouble being involved; and. especially also if such means could be of'such a nature that it might be incorporated in whole series of blades and by more variation in finishingsteps. take care of differential capacities.

It. is an object of my inventionto provide an. improved adjustable blade fan. It is another object of. my invention to provide. animproved adjustable blade fan of.v the vane axial type. It isa further object of my invention to provide an adjustable blade fan having improved. blade supporting androtating means. It, is still another object of jmy invention to provide an.improved adjustable blade fan having incorporated therein means. for precluding improvident adjustmentoi the pitch angle of the blades in such a manner as to result in an overloading of the fan driving motor. It is yet a further object of my invention to provide an improved adjustable blade fan having incorporated therein improved, means for controlling the maximum pitch'angle ofthe blades'and adapted'to permita: single blade blank to be employed in the production of fans-of'substantially diiferent output, merely by variation in the finishingoperations: It-is still another object of my invention to'provide an improved blade angleadjustment limiting means-which whilewholly eifective'shall be. out of harms way, and not subject toalteration Without deliberate disassembly of parts so'that such. adjustment limiting-meanscan be reached,

Other objects and'advant'agesof the invention will, however, hereinafter. more fully appear.

Inthe. accompanying drawings, in whichone form in. which my invention. may be embodied.v

is shown for purposes of illustration,

Fig, 1 is. an end View. of. av vane. axialv fan. in

whichmy invention is.incorporated;.with a portion brokenawav.

Fig. 2 is.a seetionon the. plane of theline 2-2.

ofjEi'g, 1, on. an enlarged scale.

F 'aBLis. adetail section. on the. plane of. the line 3,--3fof,'Fig. 1, onianenlarged' scale;

Fig-Alisa seotiononthe plane of'the line 4-4 Fig. ojisa perspective view showingaportion ofa bladeandaportion of'the blade supporting rotor construction with parts broken away to illustrate details offthe:inventibmtheview being on. a different scale.

ReferringtoLthe drawings and first to Figs. 1'

and-2; it will be observed. that a fan and motor casing C'is'made up of a deflector ring I, desirably in the form of? an aluminum spinning, a.

ring 2 forming a fan housing, and a ring or outer. casing. 3having stationary vanes. 4 permanently:secured*thereto-and connectedat their inner edges'with. an inner ring member 5'. to

which the vanes are also. secured'andwhiohin turn is fixedly secured to and supports amotor positioning-plate 6;"having'an opening 7. therethrough. Armotor 8tofahorsepower suited to the designed? air displacement of the fan, is provided with a' motor shaft .iandjis securedas by studs l6 and nuts "I l-tothe-supporting plate 6, being -positioned with respect'to' said"- plate; transversely; bymeanspofa, surface of rotation l2:on the motor casingcooperating with an internal surface of rotation loformedonthe-platefi; and; longitudi nally; by means of aplanetransverse surface 3* cooperating-with an opposite" plane surface 11 on the motor positioning plate 6. The motor shaft 9 carries a blade carrying rotor l6, desirably of light metal such as aluminum, having the huh I! thereof provided with a steel bushing or insert i8 secured by appropriate holding means IE to the shaft 9. The rotor includes a web portion to which a rim portion 2| is integrally secured. The rim portion is provided with a peripheral surface 22, which corresponds to a portion of a spherical surface. The rim portion 2| has at various equally-spaced positions about it thickened portions 23 in which sockets for the reception of the hub and shaft portions of the fan blades are formed. Associated with the rotor H3 at each of the portions 23 is a fan blade 25 consisting of an appropriately formed lade portion 28, desirably made of aluminum or other light material, a tapering hub portion 21, and a pivot element 28, said tapering hub portion being in the form of a solid of revolution of which the axis lies in the same line with the axis of the pivot element 28 and said pivot element comprising a pair of collar or shoulder portions 29 and 39 connected by a reduced portion 3 i said collar portions appropriately peripherally formed, as by knurling, so that when cast in position in the fan blade 25 they will resist tendencies to loosen their connection with the blade, the spool-like construction preventing the blade from pulling axially away from the pivot element 28 and the knurling, or the like, preventing relative rotation between element and blade. The pivot element 28 has a cylindrical portion 33 which is adapted to be rotatably received within a tubular insert or sleeve 34, desirably made of steel and connected securely to the rotor rim as by the casting of the metal of the rotor around it, one such bearing sleeve in each of the thickened portions 23. These sleeve portions may be knurled on end collar portions 35 so as to hold them non-rotatively relative to the rotor. The inner ends of the blades are formed with surfaces 31 which are struck on arcs of radii only slightly exceeding the radius of the spherical surface 22. The hub portions 2! have peripheral surfaces which are, in the main, surfaces of revolution, and the portions 23 have sockets which correspond closely to the peripheral contour of the hub portions 21. Since each hub portion and associated pivot element has a maximum diametric dimension in each plane to which their axes are perpendicular at least as great as in any parallel planes nearer the inner end of said pivot element, the blades are positionable in fully assembled relation with the rotor by movement axially of the tapering sockets in the rotor. With the portions of the hub portions 27 within which the pivot elements 23 are fixed inside the sockets 40 there is not only a very compact construction, but one in which the possibility of breaking of the blades loose from the pivots is much reduced. Blade angle fixing screws 4| extend through threaded openings 42 formed in the material of the rotor surrounding the socket member 34 and through the wall of this socket member. The wall of the socket 43 is provided with an arcuate recess 43, and, as originally cast or molded, the hub portions 2'! have projecting portions 44 which may be of such arcuate dimension as to occupy any desired portion of the arcuate dimension of the recesses 43 and as originally cast will usually have such angular extent as, if inserted in said arcuate recesses, to limit the potential turn of the blades to not more than the minimum useful amount. By appropriately milling away the material of the projections 44, these projections may be caused to limit the angular adjustment of the fan blades about the axes of the pivots 33 to any desired extent. For example, if a small angle of adjustment is desired, the width arcuately of the portions 44 may be a relatively large portion of the arcuate extent of the recesses 43. If a relatively large range of angular adjustment of the blade is desired, the width arcuately of the portions 44 may be substantially reduced, and the difference in the arcuate extent of these portions and of the recesses in which they are received will definitely determine the range of angular adjustment of the blades.

The projections will be so located with respect to the blades, or the recesses 43 will be so located with respect to the sockets-or there may be such location both of the projecting portions with respect to the blade and of the recesses with respect to the socket-as to determine the desired angular relation of the parts in both minimum and maximum pitch angle position.

The outer surface of the hub 21 alongside the blade may be marked with graduations to cooperate with an index line on the peripheral surface of the rotor to indicate the actual angular relation of the blades to the rotor. For example, Fig. 8 shows a fan blade positioned in minimum pitch angle position; Fig. '7 the maximum angular position possible between the parts with the construction shown; and Fig. 4 shows an intermediate position of adjustment.

It will be noted that the rotor is fitted with a nose 45 which may be of spun aluminum, and

suitably rounded or domed to direct or guide the air flow and this nose may be held in position by flexible spring latch elements 46 secured at radially extending portions 41 thereof to the web 20 of the fan rotor.

It will be noted moreover that sole reliance is not placed on the angle fixing screws 4| to hold the fan blades in adjusted position, and that lock washers 43 and lock nuts 49 are arranged on the threaded extremities 50 of the elements 28 and, acting against the end 5| of the sleeve 34, draw the collar 30 tightly against the upper end of the sleeve 34.

Suitable fixtures may be used for setting the fan blades and when one blade is set at the desired angle, and the screw 4! and the nut 49 are tightened, a ring having studs spaced equally with the blade spacing may be fixed coaxially with the fan rotor with one of its studs in contact with the fixed (set) blade. The other blades may then be moved to like contact with other studs (their respective ones) and fixed by the screw and by the nut, associated with them, and thus like settings for all the blades will be effected.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that I have provided an improved, simple and effective blade angle control and a cor respondingly improved fan rotor construction. The lugs may all be made the same size on original blade castings of a given size, and machined (milled) to proper angular dimension. Then with the recess cast in the socket wall in the rotor-so that it constitutes an enlargement of the bore or socket at one side of the latter, a very simple method of producing these recesses is provided, recesses with end walls extending radially from the axis of the socket. reason of the housed in location of the limit means an improved result in security against accidental destruction of these means is provided. The

sameblade; blanks, so;- to speak; can: besmadeiupi for. use; in. fans, of different; volume; and, pressure: characteristics; and; each, fan. which the; lug; width, or; more; strictly the, angular relation; of, the lug edges to the associated. blade, isthe same for. all blades will; be adapted not. only for like normal settings; but: for-like extreme settings. Obviously by forming. the. taper. of the hub 21 with an arcuategeneratrix, the selection.ofiamillingcutter of corresponding-radius willlmakevery, easy the cutting of: the projection 41k to :anysdesiredv width. The resultant form of the principal surface of the hub willbe asurface of-revolution having its generatrix. arcuate and with itsicon-i cavity facingv away from the axisrof the surface. And: it may be noted: that the lug projecting from the surface of the hubportionhasthesurefaces at its opposite sides in planesintersecting along the axis of. the hub. (see Fig; 4):. It will. further be notedthat the radial sockets inthe rim portion it have circular mouths opening through the outer periphery iofiithe rim and have sidewalls principally in the form of ausurface of revolution which tapers in the direction ofthe-- center of the rotor'element. The fanlblad'esvalso have hub portions providcd witha tapering; sidewall principally: in the form of a SuDfaC8Of l eV-Or lution mating with the firstmentioned-i surfaceof revolution, The means for limiting: turning of the hub portions in: the sockets includes, foreach blade and sock-ct a reoessin the tapering socket wall and a projection fromathemating wall, said recesses having a radiallyouterwall nearer the axis of said surfaces-- of revolution than the length of the radius ofsaidcircularmouths and: said projections each having.- an outer wall adjacent, when said bla'des are-assembled on said rotor element, the-rad'ial outer wall of the recess and said walls having the elements thereof mutually parallel and. parallel. to the axis of said surface ofrevo-lution. Were-it de-- sired to recess the peripheralwall. f'thehubportion 2'! and extend. into the recessua projection. of predetermined angular width,. tome-verse the, relative positions, of, the limit, means; i this, would. be within the broadest aspect of; my; invention. Also, if. desired, in lieu of the; Single stop lug, spaced lugs in, separate recesses orxin. anv B1011." gated recess. may be. employed. fllhe stop, 150,; may be, formed, on, other portions of he; pivot structure for the blades such as between, the pivot element and itscbearing,

While there, is in this application specifically described one form which the. invention "may assume in. practice, it will be understoodthat this form of the same is shown for purposes of ill'ustration and that the invention maybe modified and embodied in various other forms without d'e parting from its spirit or the scope of' the appended claims.

6 What I claim as'new and desire to secure-by Letters Patent is:

1. A fan rotor element for an axial flow fan comprising a hub, a web, a rimhaving radia l sockets therein having mouths opening outward:-. 1y through .said .rim, and includingbearing in-v serts cast in said rimiand, disposed radially ine. wardly of the mouths of SfiidlSQQkfitSL fan bladeseach having; a, pivot element cast in; its, inner end, said pivot elements .each having. a, portion received and journaled in one of said-\bearing-insorts and having itsportion which is .cast in va fan blade lying. entirely radially inwardly oi the. mouth of the socket but outwardly of the bearing insert, and the portions of the inner ends of 6; said Jan blades in; which. said, pivot. elements: are. castv closely received in said radial sockets, and: means for holdingv said pivot. elements. in. saidz sockets.

2. A fan. rotor element for an. axialflow fan-l comprising; a. hub, alweb, a. rim having; radiali sockets: therein, having, mouthsopening outwardlythrough; said rim, and including bearing: insertscast insaid; rim and. spaced radially: inwardfrom the mouths ofsaidsockets, fanlbladesi eachihaving va pivot elementv cast in its .inner end, saidibladeszeach having the entire portion thereof circumferentially surrounding its associated; pivot element received in one of saidsockets, and;

5 having its associatedpivot elementreceived and:

journaled. in one of said bearing inserts, and" means for holding said pivotelements in saidi sockets, andfor maintaining said blades each in the same angular relation toa plane which in cludesthe axisof its socket and the axisof: the rotor, said blades and said rim. having blade angle-limiting stop surfaces locatedv wholly: radially inwardof the mouth of each socket.. and= radially outward of its bearing insert.

3. A fan blade including a blade portion, a hub portion adapted. for reception in a socket and of greater diameter than the thickness of saidblade portion at the portion of. the latter closest to saidhub portion and tapering. away from saidblade portion, and a pivot element cast inposition in said hub portion, said hub portion of greater length than the length of the portion of said pivot element that is cast therein and hav-- is cast at least principally in theform of a tapering solid of revolution of which the axis liesin the same line as the axis of said pivot element.

4. A fan blade including a blade portion, ahub portion adapted for reception in a socket and of greater diameter than the thickness of said blade portion at the portion of the latter closest to said hub portion and tapering away from said blade portion, and apivot element cast in position in said hub portion and having; between the ends of said hubportion shoulders between which metal of the'hub portion of said: blade interlocks, said hub portion having the part thereof in which said pivot element is cast at least principally in the form of a tapering; solidof revolution of which the generatrix is concave and of which the axis lies in the same line as the axis of said pivot element.

5. An adjustable blade fan comprising arotor having tapering sockctsopening inwardly from mouths inthe periphery of said rotor and having radial bores for the reception of fan blade pivot elements, said radial bores communicating- With said tapering sockets, fan blades having hub portions filling at least the mouths of said sockets- 0 and pivot elements received in saidbores when 1 saidblades are assembled on-said' rotor, each hub portion and associatedpivot element havingo maximum diametric dimension in each plane to which their axes are perpendicular at least as great as in any parallel planes nearerthe inner end of said pivot element whereby said blades are positionable in assembled relation with said rotor by movement axially of said sockets, andmeans located wholly between the periphery 0t saidrotor and theradially outer ends of said bores for limiting the angular adjustment ofsaid blades.

6-; Anadjustable blade f-an comprising a rotorhavingtaperingsockets opening inwardly from mouths inthe periphery-of said rotor and having radial bores for the reception of fan blade pivot elements, said radial bores communicating with said tapering sockets, fan blades having hub portions filling at least the mouths of said sockets and pivot elements received in said bores when said blades are assembled on said rotor, each hub portion and associated pivot element having a maximum diametric dimension in each plane to which their axes are perpendicular at least as great as in any parallel planes nearer the inner end of said pivot element whereby said blades are positionable in assembled relation with said rotor by movement axially of said sockets, and means between the periphery of said rotor and the radially outer ends of said bores and enclosed wholly within the metal of said rotor for limiting the angular adjustment of said blades.

'1. An adjustable blade fan comprising a rotor having tapering sockets opening inwardly from mouths in the periphery of said rotor and communicating with radial bores for the reception of fan blade pivots, fan blades having hub portions filling at least the mouths of said sockets and pivot elements received in said bores when said blades are assembled on said rotor, each hub portion and associated pivot element having a maximum die-metric dimension in each plane to which their axes are perpendicular at least as great as in any parallel planes nearer the inner end of said pivot element whereby said blades are positionable in assembled relation with said rotor by movement axially of said sockets, and means between the periphery of said rotor and the radially outer ends of said bores for limiting the angular adjustment of said blades, said last mentioned means including a radial projection integrally formed on each of said hub portions and a recess for receiving said projection formed. between the ends of the associated tapering socket.

8. An adjustable blade fan comprising a rotor having tapering sockets opening inwardly from mouths in the periphery of said rotor and communicating with radial bores for the reception of fan blade pivots, fan blades having hub portions filling at least the mouths of said sockets and pivot elements received in said bores when said blades are assembled on said rotor, each hub portion and associated pivot element having a maximum diainetric dimension in each plane to which their axes are perpendicular at least as great as in any parallel planes nearer the inner end of said pivot element whereby said blades are positionable in fully assembled relation with said rotor by movement axially of said sockets, and means between the p wiphery of said rotor and the radially outer ends of said bores and enclosed wholly within the metal of said rotor for limiting the angular adjustment of said blades, said last mentioned means including a radial projection integrally formed on each of said hub portions.

Q. An adjustable blade fan comprising a rotor having portions in which there are tapering sockets opening inwardly from mouths in the periphery of said rotor and communicating with radial bores for the reception of fan blade pivots, fan blades having hub portions filling at least the mouths of said sockets and pivot elements received in said bores, and means between the periphery of said rotor and the radially outer ends of said bores and enclosed wholly within the metal of said rotor for limiting the angular adjustment of said blades, said means including pairs of cooperating radially extending projections and recesses, a pair individual to each blade, such projection and recess for each blade carried one by one of said portions and the other by the other of said portions and disposed, when said blade pivot is in the bore which receives it, in a common zone transverse to the axis of the hub of such blade, and having such relation to each other establishable by the insertion of the hub portion of the blade axially into its respective socket.

10. In an adjustable blade fan, a cast rotor comprising a hub, a web, and a peripheral flange portion having sockets therein tapering inwardly to open into bearing bores, fan blades having hub portions tapering correspondingly with said sockets and carrying pivot elements receivable in said bearing bores, set screws relative to which said blades are rotatable on their pivots while remaining stationary as to axial movement, for fixing the angles of the blades relative to said rotor, threaded clamping means respectively formed on and carried by said pivot elements for providing security of said blades after setting, and means including a recess and a projection between the inner and outer ends of said tapering sockets for limiting the maximum angular adjustment of said blades.

11. A fan rotor element having a rim portion having radial sockets having circular mouths opening through the outer periphery of said rim and having sidewalls principally in the form of a surface of revolution which tapers in the direction of the center of the rotor element, fan blades each having a hub portion having a tapering sidewall principally in the form of a surface of revolution mating with said first mentioned surface of revolution, and means for limiting turning of said hub portions in said sockets including for each blade and socket a recess in the tapering socket wall and a projection from said mating wall, said recesses each having a radially outer wall nearer the axes of said surfaces of revolution than the length of the radius of said circular mouths, and said projections each having an outer wall adjacent, when said blades are assembled on said rotor element, the radially outer wall of said recess, and said walls having the elements thereof mutually parallel.

12. A fan rotor element having a rim portion having radial sockets having circular mouths opening through the outer periphery of said rim and having sidewalls principally in the form of a surface of revolution which tapers in the direction of the center of the rotor element, fan blade; each having a hub portion having a tapering sidcwall principally in the form of a surface of revclution mating with said first mentioned surface of revolution, and means for limiting turning or said hub portions in said sockets including for each blade and socket a. recess in the tapering socket wall and a projection from said mating wall, said recess having a radially outer wali nearer the axes of said surfaces of revolution than the length of the radius of said circular mouths, and said projections each having an outer wall adjacent, when said blades are assembled on said rotor element, the radially outer wall of said recess, and said walls having the ole-- ments thereof mutually parallel and parallel to the axis of said surfaces of revolution.

13. A fan blade having a hub portion having the periphery thereof in the form of a surface or revolution having its generatrix arcuate and with its concavity facing away from the axis or surface, said hub portion having projecting from said surface of revolution a lug having surfaces at its opposite ends lying in planes intersecting along the axis of said hub.

CHARLES F. GOEDE.

References Cited in the file of this patent Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Whitlock Sept. 17, 1889 Elliott Nov. 15, 1904 Shultz July 30, 1907 Huguenin June 4, 1929 Schultz Feb. 3, 1931 Bucklen Sept. 20, 1932 Number Number Name Date Howden Nov. 30, 1937 Engdahl Dec. 7, 1937 Ruths et a1. June 24, 1941 Ruths et a1. Mar. 17, 1942 Curley Jan. 5, 1943 Bauer Aug. 14, 1945 Troller Jan. 24, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date Great Britain e Mar. 19, 1924 Germany Mar. 28, 1920 Great Britain Feb. 18, 1932 

